Ole Gunnar Solskjaer does not expect Manchester United to do any deadline-day business but confirmed new signing Bruno Fernandes would be involved in Saturday’s home game against Wolves. The United boss has been open about his desire to bolster his squad with a striker after the injury to top-scorer Marcus Rashford and the summer exits of Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku.
Joshua King, who played for the club’s reserves under Solskjaer, has been linked with a move and Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe did not rule out an exit, but the United boss is not expecting any arrivals. “I don’t think we’ll do any more business, no,” Solskjaer said at his pre-match press conference on Friday. The Norwegian said he was happy with the forwards at his disposal at Old Trafford and that the arrival of Portugal midfielder Fernandes would give him options to tweak his tactics.
Solskjaer confirmed the 25-year-old would go straight into the squad against Wolves after he completed his move from Sporting Lisbon for an initial 55 million euros ($61 million, £46 million) on Thursday. “We’re just happy to finally get it over the line. We followed him for years and he has grown in that period,” said the United boss. – Fernandes ‘a winner’ – “He is more mature, a great leader of his team and even with all the speculation that has been around him from every club in Europe linked with him, he stayed focused and played some fantastic football for Sporting Lisbon.”
Solskjaer is expecting Fernandes to provide leadership in a squad that has been accused of lacking strong voices on the pitch. “That is one of the boxes we had to tick,” said the manager. “We want players who this means a lot to, and he’s a winner, he hates losing. “I have seen it myself but he uses that anger in a good way, to play better and help his teammates. “He was a fantastic captain for Sporting Lisbon and he was a leader and he is going to come here and be a great leader.”
Some fans are planning to walk out in the 68th minute of Saturday’s match at Old Trafford in protest at how the club is being run by the Glazer family and executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward. The atmosphere at Old Trafford has turned toxic in recent weeks, with supporters voicing their anger at the club hierarchy and police this week launched an investigation into an attack on the home of Woodward. “For me, the fans have been backing us and I am sure they’ll back the team again,” said Solskjaer. “They’re important for us and this is an important game for us.”
